American Studies Program

Programs:

Program Scope

American Studies is a cross-disciplinary program that offers students an opportunity to create an individualized major. The purpose of the major is to study the unity and diversity, the consensus and conflict, the continuity and change that characterize the many cultures and social structures of past and present United States. Each student creates a program, drawing upon courses from throughout the university, designed to accomplish this attempt to understand the United States as a whole.

Career Outlook

The major is appropriate for students who wish a strong liberal arts experience that focuses on the United States, for those preparing for teaching careers, as well as those seeking a wide ranging background as preparation for later study of the law, public administration, city planning, library and museum work, and specialized graduate study.

Bachelor of Arts in American Studies

The American studies major is divided into two parts: a set of required core courses designed to introduce the themes of American studies described above, and a set of elective courses chosen from at least two disciplines related to a particular topic or theme in American studies. Students entering this major should choose their theme or topic at least by the middle of the junior year in order to take advantage of courses in various departments appropriate to their topic. The program is directed by a coordinator and a council consisting of faculty from participating departments and students currently completing the major. Each student's program is developed in consultation with the coordinator and advisers, in accordance with the pattern below.

Senior Course on Advisement: Special Study (699) on a specific topic connected to prior course work, to be developed through consultation with the coordinator and faculty from the appropriate department; or course on advisement. (3 units)

Total Required Units: 15

Elective Courses (24 units)

Courses, by choice and advisement, on a topic or theme in American Studies, drawn from at least two disciplines. Up to six units may be in community college or lower division course work. One of these courses should be a GWAR course, chosen from: HUM 300 GW, ETHS 300 GW, HIST 300 GW or on advisement.

Total for Major: 39

Courses especially appropriate as electives for the American Studies major are offered by the following departments (not an exclusive list):

Art

Asian American Studies

Africana Studies

California Studies

English

Cinema

Geography

History

Humanities

Journalism

Latina/Latino Studies

Music

American Indian

Studies

Political Science

Social Science

Urban Studies and Planning

Women and Gender Studies

Minor in American Studies

Required Courses

Course

Title

Units

AMST 300/SS 410

Perspectives on American Culture

or upper division History course

3

AMST 310/HUM 485

The Arts and American Culture

3

AMST 400/GEOG 551 orGEOG 455,
GEOG 550, GEOG 552

American Regional Cultures

3

AMST 410/HUM 478

California Culture

3

Total required units: 12

Elective Courses (9 units)

These courses, chosen upon advisement from throughout the appropriate departments and programs of the university, allow the student to explore a particular theme or topic in American Studies.